Blazes force closure
of Highway 35

Several blazes burning out of control forced evacuations of Mount Hood campgrounds and closure of Highway 35 Tuesday morning.

U.S. Forest Service stated that a 300-acre fire was burning Tuesday morning on Bluegrass Ridge, west Highway 35 near Nottingham and Sherwood campgrounds, six miles south of Parkdale.

On the east side of Highway 35, a 50-acre fire broke out on Gumjuwac Saddle near Lookout Mountain.

High winds were fanning the fires on Tuesday.

The Forest Service set up an incident command center Tuesday morning. Forest Service personnel began evacuating Sherwood and Nottingham campgrounds near the blazes. The campgrounds lie about six miles south of the ranger station at Mt. Hood.

Reports overheard on the scanner Tuesday morning conveyed the Forest Service’s efforts in warning people on the mountain of the dangers including a group of Boy Scouts who were choosing to relocate rather than evacuate.

The Forest Service expected the arrival Tuesday afternoon of a Type 2 fire command team, which would bring assistance from firefighters from out of state.